Hot top with insertable protective liner



Dec. 16, 1969 w. G. PuscH HOT TOP WITH INSERTABLE PROTECTIVE LINER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 25, 1965 INVENTOR.

i r To APA/6'( ACUTE ANGLE Dec. 16, E969 w. G. PUscH 3,484,073

HOT TOP WITH INSERTABLE PROTECTIVE LINER Filed June 23, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mz LE- zow 20H2/ INVENTOR. WA LTER P'US C H /TTOENEV United States Patent O 3,484,073 HT 'IOP WITH INSERTABLE PROTECTVE UNER Walter George Posch, Somerset, NJ., assignmto Johnslvlanviie Corporation, New York, N Y., a corporation of New York Filed .lune 23, 1955, Ser. No. 466,336 Int. Cl. B22d 7/10 U.S. Cl. 249-201 l2 Claims ABSTRACT GF THE DISCLOSURE Expendable protective panel inserts for hot tops having deformable portions to provide for force tting of an assembled liner thereof within the hot top and for sealing the junctions between the panels, and method of protecting hot tops comprising applying the panel inserts with deformable portions.

This invention relates to hot tops for use in ingot molding and more particularly it relates to insertable preformed units which complement each other to form a lining for ingot molds.

It has been previously proposed to protect the refractory lining of a hot top with self-sustaining preformed inserts. The protective inserts deter thermal degradation of the lining by creating a temperature drop between the molten metal and the refractory lining. Also, the inserts will protect the refractory from mechanical abuses and thus increase the life of the refractory lining so that the hot top may be reused a number of times without replacing the lining with each use. Heretofore, the protective panel inserts have ybeen arranged in a manner which require accurate and uniform dimensions to form a tight inner fit or seal between adjacent inserts to prevent the leaking of molten metal to the refractory insulating lining.

It is an object of this invention to provide a unitized hot top liner and method of protecting refractory portions thereof with units which are easily inserted.

It is another object of this invention to provide a method of and inserts for lining the hot tops used in ingot molding, which inserts have deformable portions which deform to compensate for dimensional variations in the refractory linings and/or the ingot molds.

It is a further object of this invention to provide lining units which may be force fitted into an ingot mold in an arrangement wherein the units complement each other to form a tight juncture between adjacent units.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a method of lining a hot top utilizing insertable liner units which eliminate the costly manufacturing procedures hertofore encountered in forming and inserting liner units in ingot molds.

ln carrying out and attaining the objects of this invention, some of the liner insert boards are provided with deformable means which abrade or compress when installed to compensate for oversized lateral dimensions when coupled with complementary boards.

ln one of the preferred embodiments, the lateral edges of liner insert boards are contoured to provide edge portions of reduced thickness, which edge portions establish substantially line contact with the face of au adjacent board when the boards are inserted into the hot tops. Preferably, the lateral edge portions of the boards are beveled so that a slanted edge forms an acute angle with the surface of the yboard which faces the interior of the ingot mold when the board is properly positioned in the mold. Initially, all four boards forming the quadrangle lining of the ingot mold are inserted together until they t snugly. The boards may be initially fitted,

Patented Dec. 16, T1969 under manual pressure, entirely within the interior of the ingot mold or in the quadrangular form axially from one end of the ingot mold. The boards are then further driven, such as by hammering, into their final respective positions. The provision of the deformable means, which may be termed protuberances, enable the inserts to be fabricated slightly oversized to insure a tight t when they are nally force driven into position. Otherwise, if the inserts fit too loosely, they may shift during the pouring procedure and permit molten metal to flow through the junctures of adjacent inserts. On the other hand, if the inserts are oversized, without deformable compensating means, the force required to drive them into position may rupture or otherwise mutilate the boards to such an extent that they lose their utility. Deformable means in the form of contoured edges provide means whereby the boards are in effect prestressed. Thus if the force required to drive the boards in place would otherwise have a tendency to rupture the boards, the boards will break preferentially at the edge portions. Thus, the propensity of such boards to abrade or crush is turned to an advantage. Abrasion of the boards at the edge portion will have no great effect on the sealing engagement of the complementary portions of adjacent units.

The invention will 'be more fully understood and further objects and advantages thereof will become apparent when reference is made to the following detailed description and to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. l is a cross-sectional elevational view of an ingot mold hot top utilizing the insertable board `construction of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. l showing one arrangement of the preformed insert boards of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the boards of FIG. 2 illustrating their initial positions during installation from within the interior openng of a hot top;

FIG. 4 is a fragmanetary plan View of one of the inserts enlarged to illustrate more clearly the contoured edge portion;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional plan view of an alternate arrangement of preformed boards;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional plan view Showing the junctures of boards having arcuate terminal edge portions;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional elevational View illustrating initial positions of boards being installed from an axial end of the interior opening of a hot top;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional plan view of an arrangement of insert boards having protuberances on the back faces thereof;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional plan view of an arrangement wherein the compensating means is illustrated as being in the form of compressible pads; and

FiG. l() is a fragmentary enlarged plan view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 2 illustrating the dimensional relationship of the inserts with a corresponding refractory side wall;

HG. l1 (sheet 1 of the drawing) is a fragmentary enlarged plan view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 5 illustrating the dimensional relationship of the inserts with a corresponding refractory side Wall;

FIG. l2 is a fragmentary enlarged plan View of the arrangement shown in FIG. 8 illustrating the dimensional relationship of the inserts with a corresponding refractory side Wall; and

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary enlarged plan vie'w of the arrangement shown in FlG. 9 iliustrating the dimensional relationship of the inserts with a corresponding refractory side wall. i

designated by the numeral 16', is shown in FIG. l to be a truncated pyramid cross sec tion, however, it will be understood that it may be of any desired configuration. The outer casting 12 and the refractory lining portions 14 and 16 may Ibe of conventional design and hence will not be further described.

The insert boards 20 forming part of this invention may be fabricated into relatively rigid products from materials such as quartz, sand, refractory silicates, or dolomite bonded with phenolic, urea, or other resins or inorganic binders. Although these boards are relatively rigid, they are also relatively friable when subjected to impact forces and are therefore accordingly prestressed so that the edge portions Will break or crumble in preferred areas and in a preferred manner. Such boards may also be fabricated into semi-rigid products by including fibrous materials.

To facilitate the description, the various boards 20 are further provided in some of the figures with number suffixes to designate different relative positions Within the hot top and with letter suixes to designate dilferences in configuration of the boards. For example, in FIG. 2 all of the boards 20 are illustrated as having the same cross-sectional configuration and hence are all provided with the letter sux A. The boards having their face surfaces extending generally in what may be termed a first direction are further provided with the number sufx 1. The boards having their face surfaces extending generally in what may be termed a second direction, transverse to the rst direction, are further provided with the number suix -2.

One of the features of an embodiment of the present invention is the provision, in insertable liner boards for ingot hot tops, of lateral edges 22 contoured to establish substantially line contact of one board 20 Vwith the interior face portion 24 of an adjacent and complementary board. The term complementary board is intended to designate a board which forms a juncture With an adjacent board. Hence, the boards 20 with a number sux -1 are complementary to the boards 20 with a number sux -2.

In FIG. 2 the unit boards 20A are arranged in a quad rangle pattern with the units forming the sides of the quadrangle. Each board 20A-1 has a terminal lateral edge 22 in contact which forms a juncture with the interior face surface 24 of a complementary board or unit 20A-2. Also, each board 20A-2 has a terminal lateral edge 22 in contact and forms a juncture with the interior face surface 24 of a complementary board 20A-1. The edge portions 22 are shown to be beveled so that the slant edges each form an acute angle with a face surface of the respective unit. A typical and preferred bevel for a board 20A (FIG. 4) having a nominal thickness X of TA inch is provided by making the dimension Y in the range of 1&2 to 3/16 inch. Other thicknesses of boards 26A may be provided with corresponding angular bevels.

The boards 20 may be initially inserted manually into the hot top mold or casting in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3 or FIG. 7 of the drawing. After the initial positioning the boards 20 are forced into the iinal position by using mechanical forces such as hammering.

In the installation of the boards 20, in the arrangements illustrated in FIG. 2, the boards 20A-1 and 20A-2 are dimensionally interrelated, before installation, so that the overall effective width is slightly greater than the width of the corresponding side of the refractory to be lined. This relationship is illustrated in FIG. l wherein the insert boards are superimposed on a cross sectional plan view of a hot top. The relationship may be expressed by the formula:

The hot top, generally where 'Teral extent of the main body of a board mt=thickness of complementary boards passing through a line extending through the lateral extent of said main body (in the arrangement shown in FIG. 2, only one thickness so extends -l-m=|1) nw=width of the deformable means (lateral edge portions 22) r=lateral extent of the corresponding internal side of the hot top During installation, one or both of the lateral edge portions 22 abrade(s) and the resultant dimensional relationship after installation may be expressed by the for mula:

The lateral edge portions 22 of decreased cross section, which may be termed deformable means, provide prestressed areas. Thus if the boards 20 are oversized in respect to the particular hot top 10 to be tted, the boards 20 will preferentially abrade at said lateral edge portions 22. The arrangement in FIG. 2 also illustrates the manner in which boards 20 of equal Width may be effectively employed in an ingot mold hot top.

In FIG. 5, an arrangement is illustrated wherein the boards 20 are of dilferent lateral widths and are differentiated by the use of the sufx levers C and D. In this arrangement, only the -boards 20C-1 and 20C-2 need to be contoured to provide frangible or easily abraded edge portions 22. In this arrangement, the boards 20C-l. 20C-2 and 20D-1 are relatively dimensioned, before installation, in respect to the lateral extent of the internal hot top side r, corresponding to the lateral extent of board 20D-1 (FIG. 11), in accordance with the formula:

where z s=lateral extent of a unit board (20D-1) Ict-:combined thicknesses (t) of transverse unit boards (20C-1 and 20G-2) lw=combined Widths (w) of the deformable protuberances 22R on board 20D-1 r=latera1 extent of the corresponding side of refractory In FIG. 6 is illustrated an arrangement wherein the boards 20E- are contoured with arcuate edge portions 22E. When the boards 20E are mated with a complementary board ZllF substantially tangential line contact is established with the front or interior face 24F of the Iboard 20F. The dimensional relationship of the boards 20E and 20F and the deformable portions 22E are related to the lateral extent of the refractory side in the same manner as described in conjunction with boards 20C and 20D of FIG. 5.

In FIG. 8 is illustrated an arrangement of boards 20G and 20H, wherein the boards 20H are provided with deformable means in the form of abradable protuberances 24H. With this arrangement it is preferable to insert the boards axially into the interior opening of the hot top as illustrated in FIG. 7. After the boards are manually inserted they may be further driven by mechanical means. As they are so driven, the protuberanecs 24H will abrade and the front faces of boards 20H will establish Snug contact with the terminal lateral edges of Iboards 20G. The dimensional relationship of the boards 20G and 20H and the deformable portions 22H are related in the manner illustrated in FIG. 12, Which manner corresponds to that described in conjunction with boards 20C and 20D of FIG. 5.

In FIG. 9 is illustrated an arrangement of boards 20K and 20], wherein the boards 20]' are provided with deformable means in the form of compressible backer strips or pads 30 which be of glass, asbestos, organic bers, or elastomeric material. The compressible material may be adhered to the insert boards 20] as spaced apart strips or to the entire backface of the boards as a lining. In any event, it is preferred that at least a portion of the compressible material extend along a line extending through the lateral extent of a board K. Depending on the compressibility and resiliency of the particular material being used, the material is preferably of a thickness in the range of 1/16 to 1/2 inch. The dimensional rclationship of the boards 20K and 20] and the compressible pads 30, before installation may be observed in FIG. 13.

Although certain and specic embodiments of the invention have been separately shown and described, many modifications and combinations of the various embodiments are possible. Therefore, this invention is not to be restricted except as necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

What l claim:

1. A hot top for an ingot mold including a refractory layer, defining an interior opening of generally quadrangle cross section and insertable protective units lining said refractory, the improvement wherein:

(a) said units form the sides of a quadrangle corresponding to the cross section of said interior openlng (b) a first side of said quadrangle being formed by the lateral extent of a first said units and at least one thickness of a transverse unit, and

(c) at least one of said first units and said transverse unit having deformable means which deforms upon installation to compensate for the difference in measurement of the corresponding side of said refractory layer with the sum of the lateral extent of said first unit added to the thickness of any transverse units along a line extending through the lateral extent of said first unit.

2. A hot top as described in claim 1, wherein said deformable means is in the form of a protuberance of reduced cross section and forming an extension from the lateral extent of said first unit, said protuberance being in substantially line contact with the front face surface of said transverse unit.

3. A hot top as described in claim 1, wherein said deformable means is in the form of protuberances on the back face of said transverse unit, said protuberances being in substantially line contact with the side of said refractory corresponding to the lateral extent of said adjacent transverse unit.

4. A hot top as described in claim 1, wherein said deformable means is in the form of a compressible pad adhered to said transverse unit.

5. A hot top for an ingot mold defining an interior opening of generally quadrangle cross section and including a refractory layer lining said opening, the improvement comprising:

(a) protective units for said refractory arranged in a quadrangle corresponding to the cross section of said interior opening;

(b) a first of said units having an edge portion forming a juncture with the interior face surface of a second unit, said second unit extending transversely of said first unit; and

(c) deformable means carried by one of said first and second units;

(d) said first and second units, said deformable means and said opening being interrelated, before installation of said units, according to the formula:

s+t+w r and after installation according to the formula:

S-l-t-j w=r where:

s=lateral extent of said rst unit t=thickness of said second unit w=width of deformable means r=width of corresponding side of the refractory.

6. A hot top for an ingot mold including an interior refractory layer and insertable protective units for lining said interior refractory layer, the improvement wherein:

(a) said units form the sides of a quadrangle, with the terminal lateral edge of a first unit of the quadrangle forming a juncture with the interior face surface of an adjacent transverse unit;

(b) said terminal lateral edge is of reduced thickness to be deformable along the edge portion to establish substantially line contact with said adjacent transverse unit; and

(c) at least two of said units being oversize in relation to the interior refractory layer of the hot top when the said units are assembled in a quadrangle therein, whereby upon insertion of the units into position as a quadrangle the lateral edge of reduced thickness deforms providing a tight t.

7. The improvement described in claim 6 wherein said terminal lateral edge is slanted and positioned so that the slant edge forms an acute angle with the interior face surface of said first side.

8. The improvement described in claim 7 wherein:

said terminal lateral edge is of reduced thickness to provide an arcuate surface substantially in tangential contact with said adjacent transverse side.

9. In combination with a hot top, an expendable hot top protective lining for the hot top interior fabricated of protective insert board units comprising at least four board units arranged in a substantial quadrangle with board edges forming abutting junctions and with at least two board units having deformable edge portions in contact with the face of an adjacent board and at least two board units being oversized in the arranged quadrangle in relation to the hot top interior.

10. The expendable hot top protective lining of claim 9 wherein the protective insert board units are relatively friable when subjected to impact forces and characterized by an edge portion contoured to establish substantially line contact with an opposing face portion of an adjacent complementary board when fabricated in a substantial quadrangle.

11. The expendable hot top protective lining of claim 10 wherein the deformable portion of the protective insert board units is an edge portion contoured with a bevel forming an acute angle with a face surface of said board.

12. The expendable hot top protective lining of claim 10 wherein the deformable portion of the protective insert board unit is an edge portion contoured to provide an arcuate surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,207,645 12/ 1916 Slick 249-201 1,969,726 8/ 1934 Charman 249-201 2,835,943 5/ 1958 Daley 249-202 2,861,305 11/1958 Fenton et al 249-201 3,314,584 4/ 1967 Knapp et al. 229-14 3,153,972 10/1964 Holton 29-525 3,166,806 1/ 1965 Daley 249-201 X 3,321,171 5/1967 Gorka et al 249-201 FOREIGN PATENTS 234,928 7/ 1964 Austria.

1,350,780 12/ 1963 France.

I. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner R. D. BALDWIN, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 2,9-445; 53-175 

